Snickers Poke Cake

This Snickers poke cake fills chocolate cake with chocolate pudding, caramel and roasted salted peanuts before topping it with whipped topping and chopped Snickers. The candy bars finish the cake, but chocolate, caramel and peanuts are already inside, so the Snickers flavor doesn’t depend on the topping.

Snickers Poke Cake with Chocolate, Caramel and Peanuts Inside

Some birthdays happen on the weekend, when we have time to make an extra special cake, plan the dinner and turn the day into something more exciting. But reality is, so many of our birthdays are on a Tuesday, right in the middle of an already overscheduled week, which is exactly when a poke cake like this comes in handy.

I still like to celebrate the actual day, on the day. Even if the big dinner is happening over the weekend, I’m not letting somebody’s birthday pass with, “We’ll do something Saturday.” Because shame on us. There needs to be some acknowledgement of the actual day, and there’s nothing better than cake for that.

In summer, I usually make my Snickers ice cream sandwich cake instead. This is the one I want when it’s not ninety degrees outside and I’m willing to turn on the oven.

This Snickers poke cake is the one I make for that kind of midweek birthday celebration. It starts with a chocolate cake mix, which is what I want when I’m trying to make a regular weeknight feel more fun without it becoming a project. Once it comes out of the oven, I poke it with the handle of a wooden spoon and fill the holes with instant chocolate pudding, or specifically Snickers pudding when I can find it.

I add caramel and roasted salted peanuts, and that part is important because I don’t want this to be a chocolate cake that only tastes like Snickers when I happen to get a piece of candy from the top. Chocolate, caramel and peanuts are already inside the cake before the chopped Snickers ever go on.

And yeah, I’m not even going to pretend this isn’t decadent. It’s supposed to be. There’s pudding in the cake, caramel over the pudding, whipped topping, salted peanuts and candy bars on top. This is hardly a sensible Tuesday-night dessert. It’s what I make because Tuesday happens to be somebody’s birthday, and tonight gets to be more ridiculous than usual. Don’t forget the ice cream and candles.

The Decisions Behind This Recipe

• I wanted the cake to taste like Snickers before the chopped candy bars ever went on top. I can layer whole candy inside something like my peppermint patty brownies, but chopped Snickers are better as the finish on this cake. That meant chocolate, caramel and peanuts had to be inside the cake instead of relying on the Snickers pieces for all the flavor at the end.
• Then came the pudding, and this is where I had to think further ahead. Snickers instant pudding mix is pretty easy to find right now, and I see it in stores regularly, so grab a few boxes if you can. It gives the inside of the cake a more specific Snickers flavor, but there’s no guarantee a specialty pudding like that will be around forever. I made sure instant chocolate pudding works too, and with caramel and roasted salted peanuts already in the cake, you don’t lose the Snickers flavor by using it.
• I keep the pudding and caramel separate instead of mixing them together. The pudding goes into the holes first because I want a thicker chocolate filling down inside the cake. The caramel gets drizzled over afterward, so you still taste it separately instead of turning the pudding and caramel into one sweet brown filling.
• Half of the roasted salted peanuts go on before the cake chills. I wanted peanuts below the whipped topping, not all sitting on top as decoration. The other half stay back until the end, where they keep more of their roasted crunch.
• And I specifically use salted peanuts. There’s already lots of sweetness coming from the cake mix, pudding, caramel, whipped topping and Snickers, so the salt is more important than it seems.
• The final caramel, peanuts and chopped Snickers go on after the cake has chilled. By this point, chocolate, caramel and peanuts are already inside the dessert. The chopped candy bars get to be the finish instead of having to explain why this is a Snickers cake.

Ingredients

• Chocolate cake mix – Devil’s food, dark chocolate or regular chocolate cake mix all work. If your brand calls for different amounts of water, oil or eggs, follow the package directions for that mix.
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs – These are for preparing the boxed cake mix. The amounts in this recipe match the mix I used, but another brand may vary slightly.
• Instant Snickers pudding mix or instant chocolate pudding mix – Snickers pudding is my first choice because it takes the candy-bar flavor further. Instant chocolate pudding works very well too, especially with the caramel and salted peanuts already in the cake. Make sure it says instant, not cook-and-serve.
• Whole milk – Use cold whole milk to prepare the instant pudding. It gives the pudding a thicker, creamier consistency than lower-fat milk.
• Whipped topping – Let it thaw in the refrigerator before spreading it over the cake. I use an 8-ounce container.
• Caramel topping – Look for a pourable caramel topping made for ice cream or desserts rather than a firm caramel sauce that sets hard when cold.
• Roasted salted peanuts – The salted part is important. There’s already lots of sweetness in the cake, pudding, caramel and candy, and I want that little bit of salt mixed in with it.
• Snickers bars – Chop full-size bars into small pieces for the top. Candy-bar sizes change over time, so I care more about having enough chopped Snickers to cover the cake generously than hitting an exact number of ounces. In fact, measure these with your heart.

How to Make Snickers Poke Cake

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card at the BOTTOM OF THE POST.

• Step One (make the cake)
  Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare the chocolate cake batter with the water, oil and eggs, following the package directions if your brand calls for different amounts, then spread the batter evenly in the pan. This is the shortcut part, and I’m perfectly happy with that.
• Step Two (bake and poke)
  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. While the cake is still hot, use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes about 1/2 inch apart. Don’t go all the way through the cake. Stop about three-quarters of the way down so the pudding stays inside the cake instead of traveling through the holes and collecting at the bottom of the pan.
• Step Three (add the pudding)
  Don’t mix the pudding until you’re ready to pour it because instant pudding starts thickening almost immediately. Whisk the pudding mix with the cold milk until smooth, then pour it over the hot cake right away. Aim for the holes and use a spatula to help move the pudding across the surface and into them before it gets too thick to cooperate.
• Step Four (add caramel and peanuts)
  Drizzle about three-quarters of the caramel topping over the pudding, then scatter 1/2 cup of the roasted salted peanuts across the cake. Spread them out so you get some in every serving.
• Step Five (chill)
  Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour. You want it completely cold and the pudding set before the whipped topping goes on. If the cake is still warm, wait. Whipped topping and warm cake are not buddies.
• Step Six (finish the cake)
  Spread the thawed whipped topping over the chilled cake, then drizzle on the remaining caramel. Finish with the rest of the roasted salted peanuts and the chopped Snickers bars. Keep the cake refrigerated until you’re ready to serve it.

Recipe Tips

• You want to poke the cake while it’s still hot. A warm cake is easier to poke without pulling up chunks of cake with the spoon handle.
• Make sure to space the holes evenly across the cake. They don’t need to be measured with a ruler, but you also don’t want twenty holes crowded into one corner and three everywhere else. Too many close together can start tearing up the cake.
• Don’t mix the instant pudding until you’re ready to pour it. Once the milk goes in, the timer starts. If you walk away and come back to nearly set pudding, getting it into the holes becomes considerably less fun.
• Give the cake its full hour in the refrigerator before adding the whipped topping. The cake needs to be cold and the pudding needs to be set. If you spread whipped topping over a warm cake, you’ll know pretty quickly why you shouldn’t have.
• If I care how the cake looks when it gets to the table, I save the final chopped Snickers and peanuts until close to serving. They’re perfectly edible after sitting in the refrigerator, but the peanuts are crunchier and the candy looks better when it hasn’t been sitting cold for a day.

Storage and Make-Ahead

• Keep Snickers poke cake covered in the refrigerator because of the pudding and whipped topping. It’s served cold and will keep well for about 3 to 4 days. The cake gets softer as it sits, and I like it after several hours in the refrigerator, but by day three or four it will be noticeably softer than it was the first day.
• For a weeknight birthday, you can make it earlier in the day and forget about it until dessert. If you want to work a day ahead, bake, poke and fill the cake with pudding, caramel and the first portion of peanuts, then cover and refrigerate it overnight. Add the whipped topping and remaining toppings the next day. You can also fully assemble it the day before if convenience matters more than appearance, although I’d still hold back the chopped Snickers and final peanuts until closer to serving.
• I would not freeze this one. Between the pudding, whipped topping, caramel and candy, there are too many textures I like better straight from the refrigerator, and this cake is easy enough to make ahead without creating another problem for ourselves.

FAQs

• Can I use cook-and-serve pudding instead of instant pudding?
  No. Use instant pudding. Cook-and-serve pudding has a completely different preparation and will not act the same way when poured into the cake.
• Can I use Snickers pudding instead of chocolate pudding?
  Yes. If you can find instant Snickers pudding, that’s actually my first choice for this cake. Use it in the same amount as the instant chocolate pudding. I wrote the recipe so chocolate pudding works too because it’s much easier to find and I don’t want the cake to depend on a specialty product.
• Why isn’t my pudding going into the holes?
  Usually one of two things happened: the holes are too small or the pudding sat too long after mixing and started to set. Use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon and pour the pudding as soon as it’s mixed.
• Why did pudding collect underneath my cake?
  The holes probably went all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Stop the spoon handle about three-quarters of the way through the cake so the pudding has somewhere to settle inside it.
• How far apart should I poke the holes?
  Roughly 1/2 inch apart works well for this cake. Close enough that you get pudding throughout each serving, but not so close that you start breaking apart the cake.
• Can I use homemade whipped cream instead of whipped topping?
  Yes, especially if you’re serving the cake the same day. For a cake that needs to sit overnight or travel, whipped topping is more stable. If using homemade whipped cream ahead of time, I’d use a stabilized version rather than plain whipped cream and expect it to soften faster.
• Can I use homemade caramel sauce?
  Yes, as long as it stays pourable when cool. A very thick caramel that becomes firm in the refrigerator is not what you want because this cake is served cold.
• Can I make this gluten-free?
  You would need to use a gluten-free chocolate cake mix and check the labels on the pudding, caramel, whipped topping, peanuts and Snickers you’re using. I wouldn’t assume the entire dessert is gluten-free because the cake mix is.

From My Kitchen Notes

Small observations from the margins.

• Ordinary days and weeknight birthdays deserve more ritual than we usually give them.
• Sometimes the easiest version of something is the one that gets made.
• There are things worth celebrating before there’s time to make them impressive.
• I don’t think effort is the same thing as care.
• Some days need more frosting than perspective.
• Excess can be appropriate even when the occasion is small.
• There are times when making too much of something is the point I’m trying to make.
• Ridiculousness is one of my favorite forms of generosity.
• Sometimes the thing that looks like a shortcut is what let the moment happen.

More Poke Cakes for a Weeknight Birthday

• German Chocolate Poke Cake – Caramel, condensed milk, chocolate drizzle.
• Strawberry Poke Cake – Strawberries, vanilla cream cheese frosting.
• Coconut Poke Cake – Cream of coconut, condensed milk, whipped topping.
• Blueberry Cheesecake Poke Cake – Blueberries, vanilla cake, cheesecake filling.
• Orange Creamsicle Poke Cake – Cream of coconut, orange curd, from scratch.
• Banana Pudding Poke Cake – Banana pudding, vanilla cake, whipped topping.

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Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Snickers Poke Cake

Snickers Poke Cake fills chocolate cake with chocolate pudding, caramel and roasted salted peanuts, then finishes it with whipped topping, more caramel, peanuts and chopped Snickers bars.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Chilling:1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Banana Pudding Poke Cake, candy bar cake, caramel chocolate poke cake, no-bake Snickers cake, Snickers poke cake

Servings: 12 slices

Calories: 610kcal

Author: Cathy Pollak

Equipment

• baking dish 9x13 (23x33 cm) For baking and assembling the poke cake.
• mixing bowls (large and medium). For preparing the cake batter and pudding mix.
• hand mixer For mixing the cake batter.
• whisk For mixing the pudding with the milk until smooth.
• wooden spoon Use the rounded handle to make the holes wide enough for the pudding filling.
• rubber spatula For spreading the pudding over the cake and finishing with the whipped topping.

Ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1 (15.25 oz / 432 g) box Devil's Food chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 (3 oz / 85 g) Snickers Milk Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix* if available, or Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix
• 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• 1 (12.25 oz / 347 g) jar caramel topping divided
• 1 cup (146 g) roasted salted peanuts divided
• 1 (8 oz / 227 g) container whipped topping thawed
• 3 full-size Snickers bars chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Coat a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  cooking spray
• Add chocolate cake mix, water, vegetable oil and eggs to a large mixing bowl. Mix according to package directions until well combined. Pour the chocolate cake batter evenly into the prepared pan.
  1 (15.25 oz / 432 g) box Devil's Food chocolate cake mix, 1 cup (240 ml) water, ½ cup (120 ml) vegetable oil, 3 large eggs
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• While the cake is still hot, use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon to poke holes about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) apart, stopping about three-quarters of the way through the cake rather than piercing the bottom. This keeps the pudding filling inside the cake instead of allowing it to collect underneath.
• Prepare the pudding filling by adding the instant chocolate pudding mix to a medium bowl. Add the milk and whisk until smooth and beginning to thicken. Immediately pour the pudding over the hot cake before it sets, directing it into the holes and spreading it across the surface as needed.
  1 (3 oz / 85 g) Snickers Milk Chocolate Instant Pudding Mix* , 2 cups (480 ml) whole milk
• Drizzle 3/4 of the caramel topping over the pudding, then scatter 1/2 cup (73 g) of the roasted salted peanuts over the cake. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until the cake is completely cooled and the pudding has set.
  1 (12.25 oz / 347 g) jar caramel topping, 1 cup (146 g) roasted salted peanuts
• Spread the thawed whipped topping evenly over the chilled cake. Drizzle with the remaining caramel topping, then finish with the remaining 1/2 cup (73 g) roasted salted peanuts and chopped Snickers bars. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
  1 (8 oz / 227 g) container whipped topping , 3 full-size Snickers bars

Notes

• Use instant pudding mix, not cook-and-serve pudding.
• *Snickers instant pudding is my first choice, but chocolate pudding works just as well.
• Mix the pudding only when you're ready to pour it over the cake because instant pudding begins thickening soon after the milk is added.
• Use the rounded handle of a wooden spoon rather than a narrow straw so the holes are large enough for the pudding to enter. 
• Stop the holes about three-quarters of the way through the cake so the pudding remains within the cake rather than collecting underneath it.
• Roasted salted peanuts are recommended because it halps carry the Snickers flavor throughout the cake and the salt offsets some of the sweetness from the cake, pudding, caramel and candy.
• Keep the finished cake covered in the refrigerator and serve chilled.  

 

 

If you’re making this Snickers Poke Cake, check out the full post. That’s where I keep extra tips, FAQs, and details that don’t always make it into the recipe card

 

Nutrition info is an estimate and will vary depending on the brands you use.

 

 

©Noble Pig. All content and photos are copyright protected. Sharing the recipe link is always appreciated, but copying and pasting the full recipe anywhere else isn’t allowed.

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Snickers Poke Cake

Amount Per Serving (190 g)

Calories 610 Calories from Fat 270

% Daily Value*

Fat 30g46%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Polyunsaturated Fat 7g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Cholesterol 51mg17%

Sodium 550mg24%

Potassium 290mg8%

Carbohydrates 79g26%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 55g61%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 240IU5%

Calcium 130mg13%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Have you made this Snickers Poke Cake? I’d love to hear how it turned out – leave a comment below and let me know.

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